Working Together

• Because receptions typically include groups of people who are unfamiliar with each other, reception activities should encourage guests to work together toward a common goal. For example, one activity could be to name each guest table after something that is relevant to the people or organization throwing the reception. For instance, at a wedding, name the table after the place where the bride and groom got engaged or, at a business reception, name the table after the city where the company started. The guests at the table must decide what the table name means and elect a leader to tell the story to the rest of the room. Not only does this activity allow guests to know more about the host, it encourages guests to interact and get to know each other.
  
  

Changing Location

• Encourage guests to interact by having them change their location throughout the reception. For example, place different colored tags at each table. Then have guests rotate tables periodically throughout the dinner by having the blues move to another table and then the yellows to another table until every color has changed tables. You could also have guests change tables based on eye color or shoe color. This breaks people out of their comfort zone and helps them get to know each other.
  
  

Interactive Quizzes

• Try hosting a scavenger hunt for guests by handing out lists with the image and name of each guest and a question about them. Have the group mingle and try to get the answers to all of the questions on the list. An alternative scavenger hunt involves having a list of questions about the reception host. Guests must interact with each other to get all of the answers to the questions. A quiz or scavenger hunt can be made out of nearly any subject and allows guests to socialize while competing in a non-threatening way.
  
  

Getting To Know Each Other

• Sometimes the best way to encourage a group to interact is to simply encourage them to talk about themselves. Hand out bingo cards at the beginning of the reception that include statements like “lived in a different country,” “has gone skydiving” and “has ridden a horse” instead of the typical bingo letters and numbers. During the reception, call out these statements. The guests will check off their card and the first one to get bingo wins. This gives the group an opportunity to learn things about each other and open up conversation in a casual way. A less formal approach would be to ask groups or tables to discuss unusual facts about each other and come up with a summary of their team based on these facts. A common variation on this theme is to have each person in the group name one true thing and one false thing about themselves and have the audience guess which is which.